Next the book can be dipped, as in Fig. 54. Resting the arms on the tough, dip the book from the back to the fore-edge, making a half circle movement with the two hands. If the book is dipped too much an unsightly mark will be left on the fore-edge. After dipping, turn the book sharply towards the body and blow strongly over the edge to get rid of the surplus size. Sometimes it may be necessary to wash the size off. To do this, fill the mouth with clean water and squirt it over the edge, or pour the water from a cup. All these .operations must be performed quickly; a slow mar­bIer will never be successful. If the trough is big enough, the three edges may be dipped one after the other; if not, the design must be thrown on three times, the size being skimmed after each. The pattern can be varied indefinitely by changing, first the vein colors and then the body colour, making green shell, red shell, etc.

The Spanish pattern is very common, and is known by a peculiar light and shade effect of the body or top colour. To produce brown Spanish with red, yellow, blue, and black veins, the colors are prepared as already described; but it may be necessary to add more gall to some, the general rule being to have each colour richer in gall than that preceding it. The brown, of course, must be thickest, and should have more gall than the others. First throw on the red, then the yellow, and follow with the blue and the black; sprinkle all freely, and distribute them evenly over the entire surface. Now with a brush well filled with brown start throwing on the colour at the left hand corner, working to and from the body, and taking care not to go over the same place twice. Finish throwing on at the right corner farthest away. Dip the edge, but in doing so give it a wave like motion that is, dip about 1 in. of surface and draw backwards slightly towards the right; then dip another portion and chaw back; repeat until the entire edge has been dipped.

For nonpareil pattern a peg rake and comb are necessary. The peg rake is simply a piece of wood with pegs stuck into it. To make it, on a strip of wood longer than the trough mark the length of the trough, leaving equal distances at each end. Divide the marked length equally, make a number of holes about 1 ½ in. apart, and in these insert taper wooden pegs about 3 in. long. Leave one peg out at the end, so that the rake can be moved lengthwise the width of a peg space. The pegs must reach to the bottom of the trough. The comb is made in much the same way, but is only a little longer than the breadth of the trough. The teeth are of pin wire, and may run from four to twelve pins to the inch (see Fig. 49). They should just reach to the top of the colour when the wooden part of the comb touches the upper edges of the trough. All the colors for this pattern should have about the same amount of gall and should be as nearly as possible of the same thickness as all are intended to spread equally. First sprinkle or throw on the red so as to cover the entire surface; then throw on the black, then the yellow, then the blue, and lastly the top colour of whatever shade may be desired. Next put the rake into the solution at the far side of the trough and draw it carefully to the near side and, without lifting it out, shift its position the width of a peg and push it back again and lift it out. Rest the wooden part of the comb on the edges of the trough at the left-hand side, and draw it carefully along until the comb reaches the right-hand side, allowing the pins just to touch the colour; the pattern is then complete, and the book may be dipped with a steady hand as before described.

< Marbling Continued